While listening to MPR the other day, the commentators were discussing books for kids that are advanced readers. This book, Al Capone Does My Shirts, was one of the recommendations. I picked it up at Barnes and Noble for my oldest, although I really wanted to read it myself.

A fictional account of life on Alcatraz in the 1930s, the story revolves around Moose Flanagan, the son of a guard. Lots of great historically accurate descriptions of what life was like for the families of the workers who actually lived on the rock.